PRESS BOX. TENNIS.

Roddick clinches No. 1

After a miserable 1 1/2 sets, Agassi began finding his strokes and came back to stun Ferrero 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 Wednesday night at the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston.

No. 2 Ferrero fell to 0-2 in the round-robin portion of the $3.65 million tournament and can't qualify for the semifinals, which means he won't accumulate enough points in the last event of 2003 to pass Roddick.

Agassi (1-1) can reach the semifinals by beating No. 8 David Nalbandian next.

Roddick, meanwhile, didn't have to set foot on the court Wednesday. He replaced Ferrero--the man he beat in the U.S. Open final--at No. 1 in the ATP Tour computer rankings last week and, at 21, will be the third-youngest player to close a season there.

Roddick (1-0) faces No. 6 Rainer Schuettler on Thursday.

In Wednesday's other match, Wimbledon champion Roger Federer defeated Nalbandian for the first time in six pro meetings, 6-3, 6-0. Federer (2-0) reached the semifinals.